Blind Spot by Laura Ellen – Reviewed by Brian Wyzlic

Just look at that gorgeous cover.

Quick: name the last YA mystery that you read that kept you turning the pages all night? I’ll wait.

For those of you more up-to-speed on your YA mystery stuff than I am, you might have a list for me (by the way, please leave that list in the comments – I think we could all use more mystery!). If you’re like me, though, you love a good murder-mystery. Toss in some teenage intrigue, and we’ve got something going. And if somehow the entire plot can also be a metaphor that is delivered to the reader in a simple, elegant, 2-word title? Well, then you’d have Blind Spot.

This debut novel from Laura Ellen opens right at the middle of the plot. Tricia Farni’s body is found. And Roz (short for Roswell) seems to remember some things about the night she went missing. But…only some things. The details are a bit hazy. What did happen that night? Who is responsible for Tricia’s death? Why can’t Roz remember the things most central to these events?

The book then goes back to tell the story that Roz can remember: what led to that fateful day. What led to Tricia and Roz knowing each other at all. And why Roz is so angry.

You see, Roz has macular degeneration, which causes her to see large spots in her vision, the most notable one being right where her focus would be (catching the “blind spot” metaphor yet?). Because of this, she is put in a special ed “Life Skills” class. But she adamantly refuses to acknowledge her need for this. She does have an IEP, but this only has one accommodation: she must be allowed to sit up front in class. No Life Skills class required.

Enter Mr. Dallian. He teaches Life Skills (and AP History, also a course Roz takes). Life Skills is now mandatory for anyone receiving special needs services. That includes everyone from the severely autistic Bart, to the legally blind Roz, and yes, the possible psychotic Tricia Farni.

Raise your hand if you’ve seen Mr. Kotter. You, raising your hand shouting “OOOH! OOOH!” you know what I’m talking about. You, kind of shaking your hand back and forth in the same motion you’d use if you said “asi asi” in Spanish…go watch a couple episodes. Anyway, the Life Skills class in this book feels like that class. The whole class is very tight-knit and looks out for each other. One student brings in baked goods every morning. They are even paired with each other to make sure everyone’s doing okay. Roz, in case you’re wondering, is paired with Tricia.

And then there’s Jonathon. He’s a student aide in the class. Hockey player. Easy on the eyes. Tough on the heart. You know the type. Well, he has an eye for Roz. And she has weak knees for him.

Before you let yourself get fooled, though, this story isn’t about the romance between then (though there is some of that). I mean, Tricia’s body? Remember that? Yeah. That’s still where we’re headed. No getting around that. But while we’re chewing on that nice piece of meat, Laura Ellen gives us some really tasty potatoes to complement our palate.

Roz and Jonathon, with their beginnings of high school attraction, team up to help Tricia score some weed. This is to help her cope with her heroin addiction. Well, then things went a bit sour at the homecoming dance, and Roz is left trying to piece it all together. Her friends are leaving her. The cops are breathing down her neck. Can she see through the blind spots in her memory and figure out what really happened in time?

I could go on and on. But it’s a Wednesday and you have things to do. Let me say one more thing about this book. It is not an issue book. I know, I know. “But the main character has macular degeneration and that is an important plot element and symbol.” Yes. So is the pearl in John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, but I wouldn’t classify that as a book about oysters. It’s an important part. But it is NOT the focus. This book is not about Roz reaching some clarifying moment about her disability. It’s about Tricia Farni and the fact that her body was found one day. That’s kind of a big deal, if you ask me.

So, are you looking for a good YA mystery? Check out Blind Spot. A word of caution, though: I can really only recommend this for high schoolers and older. There are fairly explicit drug references, including GHB, as well as sex – consensual and otherwise. That may be a bit much for even mature middle schoolers, depending on their ability to handle things like that.

But hey, you’re old enough to enjoy this book, right? Then guess what? You can win a SIGNED COPY of it! All you have to do is enter below. No gimmicks, no games. Just fill out the needed information. One winner will be selected, and then BAM! Free book! Pretty awesome. Enjoy!

Brian Wyzlic is a big Detroit Tigers fan, so please don’t bring them up this week. He’s in a bit of mourning. He can be found inside his body, which is often in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but will be in Las Vegas for all of NCTE and ALAN. He tweets at @brianwyzlic and blogs every couple weeks or so at WyzReads. He thinks you’re pretty awesome, and he wants you to give the closest person to you a high five. A “pound” is an acceptable replacement, provided you either explode it or do the rocket ship.

Picture Books—and Batman—Are for Everyone by Marc Tyler Nobleman

The day after Halloween, you don’t stop yourself from sneaking a piece of your child’s candy while thinking “Wait, I’m too old for a Fun Size Snickers.”

You liked one if not all of the Toy Story movies as much as if not more than people who actually play with toys.

And when you’ve taken your kids or nieces or nephews to the playground, you haven’t gone down the slide…but you have taken a ride on a swing.

Many hallmarks of childhood remain on-limits into adulthood…so why aren’t picture books one of them?

Because adults don’t like pictures. Or good stories. Or things that don’t take a lot of time, because no one is busy.

Oh, wait…

I’m the author of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, the first book in any format on Bill Finger, the real mind behind the world’s most successful superhero and one of the most iconic fictional characters in world history. (Don’t believe that “Batman created by Bob Kane” credit you saw in The Dark Knight Rises.)

I describe Bill the Boy Wonder as a picture book for older readers (age 7 and up). It contains an author’s note longer than most you see in similar books—six small-print pages. And that author’s note addresses sophisticated topics. Which makes it all the more bewildering that some online reviews of the book praise it but at the same time criticize it because of what it is not: an “adult” biography.

I don’t object to criticism in general. I don’t object to the feeling that Bill Finger deserves an in-depth treatment. I do object to the perception that my book is not that.

Some people don’t see past the picture book format. For them, stigma overrides substance. We all know not to judge a book by its cover, but “You can’t judge a book by its thickness” hasn’t caught on yet. My Batman book may be thin, but it took more research than almost all of my other books…combined. And it contains a considerable amount of previously unpublished info, written up at kids and, I hope, engagingly for adults.

In 1939, Finger wrote the first Batman story, then hundreds more until 1965, including the first appearances of major characters including Robin, Joker, Catwoman, and Penguin. For most of that time, he worked anonymously—and therefore was not properly documented despite his cultural impact. In the 40+ years since Finger outed himself as the pivotal creative force of Batman, I was the first to write a book about him.

Of course, first does not automatically equal best. I’m the first to say I hope someone does write a longer biography of Bill Finger one day. I’d be happy to share my research—in fact, I already freely do, on my blog. But even if that book never happens, I (objectively) feel we will still have a pretty good resource on the subject.

And Batman, like picture books, is not the exclusive province of kids—or superhero fans. You could argue that it used to be that way, but like the rest of us, Batman has matured. There are still Batman stories for young children, but most versions of the character (from the films to most of the comics currently being published) are emphatically not for the audience most commonly associated with picture books. Most of the time, Batman is gritty and even scary. He’s not a two-dimensional cartoon. He’s as textured a character as anyone out of Dickens. It’s not just kids and geeks who are turning those Batman movies into blockbusters.

In sum, it’s okay to read about Batman even if you’re not a comic shop regular and it’s okay to read picture books even if you’re not a first grader.

The adults table may be just for adults, but the kids’ table is not elitist. If you’re nice, you’re welcome. Childhood doesn’t end with growing up.

 
Marc Tyler Nobleman is the author of Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman and Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman. His next books will also be quirky nonfiction but will not involve capes or tights. He’s invited to speak at schools, conferences, libraries, and other venues nationwide, and he blogs about those experiences (plus research revelations, promotional gambles, and other publishing adventures) at http://noblemania.blogspot.com/.

Book Marks by Kim Baker

I can’t recall many stories from my youth. Isn’t that terrible? I know I read. A lot. I remember the carpet in the Casper Public Library. I can recall the frustrated anticipation of waiting for the Scholastic book club orders to be distributed. I had a system for questioning librarians and teachers to find out if the dog in the story died before I would risk the first chapter. I even finagled a job in the school library after school. Mrs. Schuster would let me put away books and dust shelves in exchange for book recommendations and the occasional sweet treat. But when I try to remember which books I read, and what actually happened in the stories— apart from a few favorite exceptions I’m usually blank. Middle school and high school are a whole different experience. I don’t know if my brain became more capable of retaining information, but I can recount whole passages from S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders (Stay gold, Ponyboy!). I can tell you about Holden Caulfield’s malaise and what Elizabeth and Jessica fought over at Sweet Valley High (I know.). But my middle grade years are kind of a blur. That’s where my heart lies as a writer and a reader, so the realization freaked me out. It didn’t make any sense.

    

Except, when I looked at the big picture, I do remember those books. I may not be able to recount the plot but the books I read in those years left countless tiny marks. Those stories affect my outlook and choices every day in a hundred different ways. I remember what Edward was willing to do for Turkish Delight in Narnia, but it wasn’t readily available in Wyoming. I found Turkish Delight for sale years later on a trip to Canada and whooped in the middle of the shop. I snatched up a bunch and expected bliss. The kind I found was rose flavored, and not worthy of selling out even a single member of my family, but finding it and tasting it still made a perfect afternoon. It created an opportunity, a way to connect with the world, and a dormant curiosity that I would have lacked if I’d never picked up C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The pre-internet Wyoming of the 1980s did not have an abundance of variety. I found it in books. I didn’t remember many details of the stories from Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing (Judy Blume), Harriet the Spy (Louise Fitzhugh) and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg) until I reread them as an adult, but I recall that they made kid me long to visit New York City. I still think of each of them whenever I’m there, along with George Selden’s A Cricket in Times Square. I’ll always stray from travel plans for a side trip to explore a beloved story’s setting. And throughout my life, putting on a red hoodie makes me feel a little scrappy, like Harriet. I may not remember the details, but I am made out of the story bits. 

It’s not just about wanderlust and differences though. What Wyoming lacks in variety it makes up for in snow. I’ve known blizzards similar to those that the Ingalls family endured through the Little House series. Something as basic as a snowstorm gave me a way to understand the pioneer lives of Laura and Mary. I never fought a prairie fire or volleyed an inflated pig bladder with my sister (I don’t think I’d tell you if I had.), but I could empathize with being homebound in a storm. And I don’t always resist the temptation to make maple syrup candy on fresh snow. I can never recall how Templeton helped Wilbur in E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, but the memory of Charlotte has led me to peacefully relocate, rather than squish, countless spiders. 

            

I try to pass on my favorites to my kids, so that those beloved books can leave marks on them as well. My son pointed out a basket of white tomatoes at the farmer’s market, and I knew he remembered a certain vampire bunny. He brings up the Boxcar Children when we come across berries in the woods. On a recent weekend in Portland we drove down Klickitat Street to pay homage to Beverly Cleary and the Quimbys, and then passed through Forest Park to soak up the foggy green ambiance that inspired Wildwood (Colin Meloy/Carson Ellis). He’s building his own canon, too. We’re planning a trip to England to visit his grandparents and I’m certain we’ll pass through King’s Cross Station, thanks to J.K. Rowling, before we head north to the relatives. Maybe his love of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series will lead him to Greece someday. He already has a better grasp of mythology than I do. The more books he reads the more possibilities he will have. He might forget most of the stories he’s devouring now, as I did, but I’m sure they’re leaving their marks.

        

How about you? What books have left their formative mark?

 

Kim Baker’s debut middle grade novel, Pickle, is available from Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan. She won’t confirm membership in any secret societies. Kim admits that there might have been an incident with some strategic frog placement, but scaring those strangers in the graveyard was accidental…sort of. Moving around a lot as a kid taught her two things: silliness is a great way to make pals, and goofy people make the best friends. She lives in Seattle with her family and still goofs off. A lot. You can see more at www.kimbakerbooks.com and on twitter as @kim_bak.

Preferred Texts by Kevin Hodgson

As educators, we can’t ignore the fact that our students are “reading” more and more varied texts these days, and yet, if you are like me, much of what we “read” in our classrooms are still very much traditional books and articles. Words on paper. At the start of the school year, I used a read-aloud story with my sixth graders as an opportunity to mix in video as a form of text, and then I opened up the classes to discussions about the way they prefer to experience stories.
The results are shared in the reflective webcomic below, but what stood out for me most of all is that while a majority of students might prefer video, the significant number who still prefer books were the most declarative and argumentative on the power of traditional texts, and made such valid claims about the lure of books that some other students began to change their minds as our discussions moved on. These kinds of classroom talks are valuable for me, as a teacher, but also for them, as it gave them a reflective space from which to really think — maybe for the first time — about how they experiences stories across media platforms and what strengths and weaknesses bubble up the surface as a result.

 

Kevin Hodgson blogs at Kevin’s Meandering Mind (http://dogtrax.edublogs.org) and tweets as @dogtrax.

Top Ten Girl Power Books: YA/Teen by Jen Vincent, Kellee Moye and Maria Selke

Long gone are the days when girls had to look far and wide for powerful young women in popular literature. Long gone, too, are the days when there was only one model of strength. Today, our favorite ladies are even hitting the big screen in blockbuster films. Hermione from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, was a bookish young lady who taught us about courage and loyalty. Her devotion to important causes never falters, no matter what challenges lie ahead. Katniss, the protagonist from Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy, captured the hearts of boys and girls alike with her strength and dedication to what she thinks is right. That amazing archery skill didn’t hurt either. Did anyone else long to take up a bow after that book and movie? Tris, from Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy, is another example of how strength, determination, and focus are more apparent in female characters in current, young adult literature. Here are ten of our favorite teen books with strong female leads. Some which you may have heard of, others you may not, but all that you should visit:

Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

In a world of racism and inequality, Scout has different ideas about the people in her town. Color of skin doesn’t matter to her. Now, Scout herself is not a teen, but the message that To Kill a Mockingbird shares with its reader is so important for teens to read. Scout is a young lady before her times and should be a model for all.

 

  

Katsa, Fire and Bitterblue from Kristin Cashore’s Graceling Realm series

Kristin Cashore has created an amazing world and told us stories about three strong female characters who show readers what it means to be strong physically and mentally. These three main characters exude confidence but also can be honest and vulnerable with the people they trust. Within each novel, Kashore’s female protagonists have a role of power and are well respected, showing not only strong characters, but a strong regard for women in general. In all three books, the characters fight against their roles and will not anyone else decide their future for them.

Cat from Shine by Lauren Myracle

Cat is a wonderfully loyal to her 17-year-old friend Patrick who was found beaten and left for dead outside the convenience store where he works. While Patrick cannot articulate who attacked him and the local small-town police aren’t getting very far in their investigation, Cat takes it upon herself to bring justice to her friend. Cat’s strength is so recognized, Shine was awarded the 2012 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award, given by the Assem­bly on Lit­er­a­ture for Ado­les­cents (ALAN), as demon­strat­ing a pos­i­tive approach to life, wide­spread teen appeal, and lit­er­ary merit.

 

    

Kate from the Matt Cruse series by Kenneth Oppel

In Kenneth Oppel’s steampunk series, the woman’s place is entertaining guests, taking care of the home, and raising children, but Kate de Vries will not let her fate be in anyone’s hands but her own. When she meets Matt Cruse in the first book of the series, she takes control and goes against all norms within her society. Kate has a definite sense of adventure and is a go-getter. She isn’t afraid of failure and seems to trust her gut.

Piper from Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Piper finds herself in a mess at the beginning of Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John: she has one month to get a paying gig for the hottest rock band at her school but because Piper is deaf, she doesn’t even know what they sound like. Despite being deaf, she doesn’t give up on her determination to prove to others and to herself that she has what it’s takes.

Barbara Gordon from (most recently) the Batgirl comic series written by Gail Simone

Babs is the original Batgirl, standing beside Batman throughout the ages. While her background story has changed over the years, her sharp mind, agile fighting style, and drive to clean up Gotham make her a role model for girls around the world. Even being crippled by the Joker and put into a wheelchair couldn’t stop her. Instead, she reinvented herself as Oracle and became the leader of her own all woman team – the Birds of Prey.

Mia and Lily from The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot has written several books for tweens and teens but The Princess Diaries series stands out amongst the others. The Princess Diaries are written from Mia Thermopolis’ perspective. Her best friend, Lily, plays a large role in supporting Mia throughout her high school career. Mia herself grows into a confident and independent young woman, but Lily’s support and constant drive to push Mia towards self-actualization shows the importance of having someone in your life who you can trust and who believes in you.

  

Deuce from Enclave and Outpost by Ann Aguirre

In her small enclave underground, Deuce dedicated herself to battle training. After years of honing her skills, she could finally call herself “Huntress” and take on the protection of her community. When her world collapsed around her and she was forced to leave, Deuce continued to insist on the right to use her talents to fight for her friends and new home. More than just a fighter, though, Deuce is a young woman who does whatever she can to support the people around her who have become her family.

Seraphina from Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman

Music is in her blood, yet Seraphina must stand up to her father for the right to play a single note. Even as she struggles to understand and accept her unique nature, she still looks out for the less fortunate around her. Calling attention to herself through her musical talents could cause her death, and that’s far from the only obstacle in her way. Seraphina faces each challenge with courage and strength. She’ll face off with her father, a princess, and even dragons to make her own path.

      

Tally Youngblood from the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

Tally is a flawed character. She begins wanting nothing more than to be just like everyone else, but throughout Uglies, Tally starts to feel her priorities change and begins to think for herself for the first time in her entire life. And though she doesn’t always  make the best choices, she always attempts to make up for her mistakes. Tally is also extremely intelligent, always using her wit to control the situation. Tally may not be a perfect person, but she is real and she is strong.

 

Don’t forget to check out our first two posts to read about Picture Books, Early Readers and Middle Grade lit filled with girl power!

Kellee Moye teaches middle school reading in Orlando, FL, Jennifer Vincent is a National Board certified teacher in Illinois, and Maria Selke is an elementary gifted resource teacher in Pennsylvania.  Both Jen and Kellee blog at Teach Mentor Texts and Maria blogs at Maria’s Melange.  They can all be found on Twitter as well: @kelleemoye, @mentortexts, @mselke01.

Celebrating the Wonder of Wonder by Sherry Gick

Sharing the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio with students is certainly not a new idea…most of us have been sharing Wonder with anyone who would listen since the beginning of 2012!  Even so, there’s something so amazingly wonder-ful about this book and how it touches readers’ lives.  I will never tire of seeing and hearing the reactions of others to this story.
This is exactly the reason why I persuaded our 6th grade Reading teachers to begin the school year by using Wonder as a whole class read aloud. We had already “test-driven” the novel as a read aloud with one 6th grade class in the spring of 2012. I had the privilege of beginning the book with them and finishing up their experience with a Skype session with R.J. Palacio on our last day of school. The interest level, immersion, and reactions from the students was amazing to see. The 6th grade teacher and I really wanted to spread this spirit of “Choose Kind” to the entire incoming 6th grade population and in turn, encourage all our middle school students to “choose kind” in their interactions with each other.

End of 6th Grade Hallway – Visible to everyone going to Cafeteria!

This year’s three classes of 6th graders were no different than our test class from last year. All of the students immediately loved the book and clamored to hear more each day from their teachers. I was overwhelmed by students wanting to check the book out from the library, which I discouraged — I wanted them to experience the power of the read-aloud! Now that the teachers have finished reading the book aloud, there are no copies available in the library. Students are re-reading the story and enjoying it even more the second time around. After seeing the reactions of the sixth grade students to the story, my principal handed me the school credit card and told me to order copies for every middle school reading/English teacher to have as well as extra copies for the library. (Awesome!)
Towards the end of the classroom read alouds of Wonder was the amazing birthday party we hosted after lunch on October 10 (Auggie’s birthday). My library assistants and I spent an entire period decorating to really make the area special for the students. (It’s amazing how much streamers, balloons, tablecloths, and party supplies are appreciated by 6th graders!) A few helpful parents served up 87 slices of cake and glasses of punch so the students could join the party immediately.

After singing “Happy Birthday” to Auggie, students enjoyed eating the cake.  They were also instructed to pick one word to describe themselves and write on the name tag at their place.  We encouraged them to talk with their friends about positive words that described each other to use for their tags.  They also wrote only their name on a blue affirmation sheet that read “_________ is a wonder because ……”.

After cake and punch, we took the party outside so there was room to move around for activities!  First, each class took center stage (by standing on several benches) and received a standing ovation from the other two classes.  This moved me to tears to see the students applauding each other and the sheer joy on the faces of the students receiving the applause.

Next, the students taped their affirmation sheets on their backs and took turns writing why each of their classmates “is a wonder”.  This was a flurry of movement as students wanted to write on EVERYONE’S sheets and have teachers sign theirs as well.

  

Afterwards, I watched the students clutching their blue sheets of paper, excitedly whispering to each other all the amazing comments that had been written on their papers.  The comments were anonymous which made it that much better.  I’m fairly certain all 87 students were beaming with pride because someone thought they were special.

The birthday party was a real bash but my most favorite activity with Wonder was the library project I taught individually with each class and collaborated on with Mr. Etkin and Mrs. Posey: 1-2-3 Wonder as part of the #WonderSchools initiative.  Our collaborative video may be seen here.

My first class is featured in this video.  I went on to do this same project with the other two 6th grade classes and was literally blown away by the depth of their answers as they worked together in small groups of 2-4.  To have 6th graders tell me the range of emotions Wonder made them feel:  accepting, blessed, lucky, special, angry, connected, emotional…among other wonder-ful words truly warmed my heart.  (All 3 videos may be seen here.)

I think it’s safe to say that Auggie’s story will be one that sticks with our 6th grade class, hopefully for a lifetime.  We will continue to use the Choose Kind theme throughout the school year and beyond.  A new award will now be given on awards day each May:  the August Pullman Award.  It will be awarded to the 6th grade girl and boy who have most exhibited the spirit of choosing kind throughout their 6th grade year.  (Winners will receive their own copy of Wonder!)

Sherry Gick is a school librarian for Rossville Consolidated Schools. She loves her job, running, & her family.You can find her online at www.thelibraryfanatic.com and on Twitter as @LibraryFanatic.

Reading Poll: Favorite Series

Some books are so good we wish they’d never end.

Some authors indulge their readers’ wishes by writing sequels.

We at Nerdy are wondering what series top the list of favorites for both our students and us.

Leave your favorite series titles in the comments below and we will select one lucky winner to receive a copy of one of our favorite series books Tom Angleberger’s The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee, signed by Tom and generously donated by Ame Dyckman for a Nerdy giveaway.

  

Goblin Secrets by William Alexander – Author Interview by Laura Given

Goblin Secrets

by William Alexander

What it’s about (in one sentence):
In a world where acting is outlawed and masks have magical powers, young Rownie joins a troupe of goblins and searches for his lost brother.

What I love:                                                                                                            Goblin Secrets is truly elegant fantasy set in Zombay, a slightly creepy other world densely layered with folklore and history. Each page turn forces the reader to toss aside assumptions while traveling with young Rownie on his fast paced adventure with magical slave crows, masks that have power when you give them voice and steampunk-y gearwork.

Recently I met author William Alexander at a the annual Celebration of Minnesota Children’s Authors and Illustrators in Redwing, MN.
I wrote the sentence starters in purple, and William Alexander finished them

My ideas for the unique world of Zombay came from…
Where did Zombay come from? The Fiddleway Bridge came first, and the rest of Zombay grew up around it. (I love the picture of the bridge on the back of the hardcover dust jacket.) Some of the Fiddleway is based on the old London Bridge, which was basically a town unto itself. Shops and houses covered it and stood suspended between the two separate halves of the city. Other bits of the Fiddleway are based on the Charles Bridge in Prague, which is usually full of musicians, puppeteers, and other sorts of performers.
Once I knew about the bridge, more tidbits of made-up urban geography started glomming onto it and taking shape as Zombay City. The place formed just as dust bunnies do underneath the sofa, bit by bit around one long, lost hair.
This is the Dust Bunny Theory of Novel Writing. Once you have a good hair to bridge it all together, the rest of the story will begin to accumulate in the hidden, under-the-couch depths of your mind.
When I was in 4th-6th grade I loved to read…
…Fantasy and Mysteries more than anything else. In 4th grade I read Sherlock Holmes stories, and in 5th and 6th grade I found Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthseaand Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising. These were tremendously important books to find. I built vast swaths of my mental landscape out of the books I read at that age. Most readers do. I’ve got a blog post about that somewhere…
Masks…
…let you try out new and unreasonable possibilities. Kids on Halloween aren’t just pretending. We dress up as monsters on the night that monsters traditionally go walking around. The kids are still kids, and the masks are still masks, but they become a third thing, an additional combination of the two, and that lets every single trick-or-treater figure out a new way of moving through the world. And afterwards you get to take off the mask and be yourself again. It’s perfectly safe. Really…
One more thing…
…Nobody knows where the phrase “break a leg” comes from, or why actors use it to mean “good luck.” Theories abound, but nobody really knows. If you think you’ve figured out why, please tell me!

William Alexander reading from Goblin Secrets:

Link to youtube video: http://youtu.be/8VGFfKbuoro
Coming March 5th, 2013:
Goblin Secrets with a new cover comes out in paperback
Ghoulish Songs (a second book set in Zombay) released

Win a Signed Copy of Goblin Secrets by William Alexander
Rules for the Giveaway:
1. It will run from 10/24 to 11:59 P.M. on Saturday, 10/27.
2. You must be at least 13.
3. Please pay it forward.

William Alexander studied theater and folklore at Oberlin College and English at the University of Vermont. His short stories have been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize and published in various strange and wonderful places. His book Goblin Secrets was recently named a 2012 National Book Award Finalist. You can find him on Twitter here: @williealex. For more about Goblin Secrets–including a gallery of wearable masks–visit www.goblinsecrets.com.
Laura Given is a K-8 Library Media Specialist in Roseville, Minnesota, a reading for fun advocate and a collector of 5s. Find her on twitter as @LibLaura5 or on her blog www.LibLaura5.blogspot.com.

My Reading Life by Caroline Starr Rose

My reading life began with a picture book called The Littlest Rabbit. I would solemnly quote the first page, “Everybody is bigger than I am,” entertaining my family by (unknowingly) speaking the truth about my place in the big, wide world. That world placed limitations on what I could do and where I could go, but the book world — my world — was simultaneously about discovery and adventure, safety and familiarity, a place I could set the rules and make the boundaries, carry the flashlight and lead the way. My book world was a place I could revisit as often as I wanted, relaxing in the steadiness of treasured words and friends.

 

In that place I encountered Little Bear and his birthday soup, Timmy Tiptoes and his terrifying entrapment in a tree, and Pooh and Piglet singing through a snowstorm (tiddley pom). I devoured books about Aslan, that lion who wasn’t safe but good, and Laura, a girl who lived so very long ago bears and panthers lived outside her door, and a penny in her Christmas stocking was worth celebrating. There was Ramona (a girl who said exactly what she thought, bravely doing the things I didn’t dare try on my own), Nancy Drew, and the boy wonder, Leroy Brown, who figured out the most puzzling mysteries and put the world to rights. There was Anne Shirley, who imagined and dreamed and long for puffed sleeves. And Arriety, with her Borrowed name and cigar box bed.

 

I loved Charlie, with his hard-won golden ticket in hand; Taran, the pig boy turned hero; and Edmund Dantes, the innocent imprisoned in the Chateau D’If. Doctor Doolittle and Scarlett O’Hara. Guy Montag and Mary Poppins.

 

I learned about the Holocaust while reading When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, about the middle ages while reading Katherine, and the French Revolution while reading Desiree. I learned about heartache alongside Jody when he lost his beloved Flag. (Rereading The Yearling as an adult, I ached in a new way — as a parent watching a child face hardship for the first time). I learned compassion reading Follow My Leader and Mine For Keeps.

 

“I am a part of everything that I have read,” John Kieran said, and my life echoes this truth, for who I am is richer, broader, and kinder because of my book world and the characters who’ve met me there.

 

Caroline Starr Rose is the author of MAY B. (2012) and forthcoming OVER IN THE WETLANDS (2014). She also is a former upper elementary and middle school teacher. You can find her on the internet at http://www.carolinestarrrose.com.

The Reluctant Reader by Heather Cato

I know it’s not a contest or anything, but I bet that when I began teaching language arts I had read fewer books of any kind than any other language arts teacher in the history of public education.  I never liked reading as a kid, but I can vividly remember the first time I took my students down to our antique, two-sizes-too small library to check out books.  With the signatures on my diploma still wet, I was excited to begin working with my students on all of the great teaching strategies that I had learned in college to improve their reading skills.

Once we got to the library the students mechanically slipped into a chair at one of the tables in the room to await further instructions.  Eagerly I explained that they could pick any book they wanted to read; they didn’t have to read something just because I told them they had to.  I guess I was thinking I would get a standing ovation from the students because I had just liberated them from the reading tyrants that had enslaved their whole educational career, making them read boring and uninteresting books.  I was surprised when I received a series of moans and rolling of the eyes as students unenthusiastically got up to select a book.

As the students aimlessly roamed around the library I began to realize that they didn’t know what book they should pick.  What’s worse is I realized I did not know what to encourage them to read.  I, a non-reader myself, was a fraud. How could I recommend books when I hadn’t read any? Well, I’d read maybe 8 in junior high that I could tell them were great, or at least not half bad, but that was almost ten years ago.  Would these students actually find those books interesting?

That day in the library, I had to swallow a huge horse pill of reality.  My students, sauntering around the books, robotically picking up books to glance at their covers, pretending to find a book, and lying that they were actually going to read it were 8th grade duplicates of me!   No wonder my students were giving me a slouching “OH NO,” instead of the standing ovation I thought I deserved.

Libraries are probably the scariest places in the world to any reluctant reader. Too many shelves. Too many books. Too many choices. I realized that as a teacher, and the one who should be inspiring a love of reading, I needed to do a lot more to get books in kids hands than take them for a stroll through the library.

I became a reader. Of course, I did not become a bibliophile over night.  I started by having my book-loving librarian mom help me out, I subscribed to several blogs that reviewed young adult literature and started following authors on Twitter.  Finally, I started to read, not so much out of desire because I suddenly love it, but out of a need to be able to talk about books with my students.

Now, I read so much it is hard to keep track.  It’s hard, and I am proud of it. My personal reading experiences are single-handedly the most important tool I have to encourage students to read.

Teachers must read the books they hope to get their students reading.  So take that trip to the library; browse the YA section, and get to it.

A reformed reluctant reader, Heather Cato is an instructional coach with several years of experience as a middle school language arts teacher. She was named the 2012 Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts Middle School Teacher of the Year and can be frequently found striking up conversations about books with unsuspecting teenagers at the local bookstore. A Teacher Consultant for the National Writing Project, you can find her on Twitter @heathercato or on her blog http://www.ThreeTeachersTalk.com